Oven door latch assembly

ABSTRACT

A motorized door latch assembly for locking an oven door in a locked and sealed position for purposes of cleaning the oven. A motor assembly causes a latch rod to translate, causing a latch plate to move between different positions. In a first position, the latch plate allows the oven door to open. In a second position, the latch plate prevents the oven door from opening. In a third position, the oven door is pulled inwardly to a locked and sealed position. During shipment, the latch plate is locked in its first position by a fixer. The distance between the latch plate and the motor assembly may be adjusted for ranges of different sizes.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This patent application claims priority to provisional patentapplication serial No. 60/358,141 filed Feb. 20, 2002 entitled “OvenDoor Latch Assembly” which is fully incorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This application relates to a motorized oven door latch assemblyfor locking an oven door in a closed position when the oven is in aself-cleaning mode.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Self-cleaning ovens which are incorporated into self-standingranges are well known. Such ovens conventionally have an oven door whichis hingedly secured to a range body. The oven door may be opened to gainaccess to an oven cavity. The oven door may also be closed to close theopening for cooking objects placed in the cavity or cleaning the cavity.One or more heating elements reside in the oven cavity for cookingpurposes.

[0004] Motorized latches which are used to lock oven doors in a closedposition so that the oven cavity may be self cleaned are well known.U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,979 and U.S. Pat. No. RE. 27,545 and U.S. Pat. No.4,374,320 all disclose such motorized self-cleaning oven door latches.Such oven door latches are activated by a rotary motor located at therearward portion of the range above the oven. Activation of the motorcauses a rod to translate which causes a latch at the front of the rodto engage the oven door so that the oven door may not be opened. Afterthe cleaning has occurred, the motor is reactivated, causing the latchat the front of the rod to disengage the oven door so that the oven doormay be opened. Applicant's own U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,098, which is fullyincorporated by reference into this application, discloses another suchoven door latch assembly.

[0005] One disadvantage with oven door latch assemblies having motorslocated spaced from the latch of the assembly is that during shipmentthe rod may bend or be otherwise damaged. In addition, the motor and/orassociated electrical components such as switches may be damaged.

[0006] Another disadvantage with existing oven door latch assemblieshaving motors located spaced from the latch of the assembly is that uponarrival, the latch and/or motor assembly has moved during shipment.Consequently, the range manufacturer has difficulty assembling the rangebecause the latch is not in its correct position. The rangemanufacturer, not being familiar with the oven door latch assembly, maydamage the oven door latch assembly during installation or install theoven door latch assembly incorrectly.

[0007] Therefore, it has further been an objective of the presentinvention to provide an oven door latch assembly which may be quicklyand correctly installed by a range manufacturer.

[0008] It has been another objective of the present invention to providean oven door latch assembly which may be shipped more safely thanheretofore possible.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The invention of this application which accomplishes theseobjectives comprises a motorized door latch assembly for locking an ovendoor in a closed and sealed position so as to close an oven cavity forpurposes of cleaning the oven cavity. The oven door is hingedly mountedon a range body and moveable between an open position, a closed positionand a closed and sealed position.

[0010] The door latch assembly comprises a mounting plate supported bythe range body above the oven cavity and extending generally from frontto back. However, the mounting plate may alternatively extend fromside-to-side without departing from the spirit of this invention.Proximate the front of the mounting plate is a pin extending upwardlyfrom the mounting plate. The pin may be integrally formed with themounting plate or a separate element secured to the mounting plate inany number of ways, including, but not limited to, being welded to themounting plate.

[0011] Proximate the rear of the mounting plate, a motor is supported bythe range body. The motor is preferably located above and behind therange cavity but may be located at any other location. The motorrotatively drives a cam, operatively associated with the motor.

[0012] A latch rod, having a pair of opposed ends, extends between thecam and a latch plate located at the front of the range. The latch rodhas a first end secured to the rotatable cam and a second end secured toa latch plate. Rotation of the cam causes the latch rod to translateeither forwardly or rearwardly. Other drivers, such as for example asolenoid, may be used in place of a motor assembly to cause the latchrod to translate.

[0013] The latch plate has a hook at one end for engaging the oven doorand a hole at the other end. The second end of the latch rod passesthrough the hole of the latch plate and through a guide formed in themounting plate so as to secure the second end of the latch rod to thelatch plate and limit movement of the latch plate upon translation ofthe latch rod. The latch plate also has a slot therethrough in which thepin extending upwardly from mounting plate travels. The size of the slotand location of the pin restrict the movement of the latch plate so asto move the latch plate between three desired positions.

[0014] In operation, rotation of the cam by activation of the motorcauses the latch rod to translate generally from back to front andcauses the latch plate to move between three positions: a firstposition, a second position and a third position. In the first position,the latch plate is located such that the oven door may be opened. Upontranslation of the latch rod, the latch plate moves to a second positionin which the hook of the latch plate engages the oven door to preventthe oven door from being opened. In the third position, the latch plateis pulled inwardly by the latch rod, pulling the oven door into a lockedand sealed position.

[0015] A biaser extends between a fixed point on the mounting plate andthe latch plate so as to bias the latch plate toward the second positiondescribed hereinabove. In the event of a failure while the oven is in aself-cleaning mode with the latch plate in its third position and thedoor locked and sealed, a user, using a pry bar tool may exert pressureon the hook of the latch plate causing the latch plate to rotate aboutthe pin of the mounting plate toward the first position. With the latchplate pulled over to its first position the oven door may be openedwithout having to call a service technician.

[0016] To prevent damage to the latch assembly of the present inventionduring shipment, the latch plate may be locked or secured in its firstposition with a fixer which may be a pin, a bracket or a clamp. In oneembodiment of the invention, a temporary length member may join twomounting plates to provide stability during shipment.

[0017] In two alternative embodiments of the invention, the rearmounting plate may be adjustably secured to the range body so that onesize of latch assembly may be used with ranges of differing sizes.

[0018] The components of the latch assembly of the present invention maybe shipped to an oven or range manufacturer in any number of parts,subassemblies or assemblies and assembled on site by the oven or rangemanufacturer. If the oven or range is larger or smaller thananticipated, the adjustability of the latch assembly of the presentinvention enables the latch assembly to be adjusted and properlyinstalled. Similarly, if the latch assembly of the present inventioninitially does not fit inside the oven or range properly, the oven orrange manufacturer may quickly and easily adjust the latch assembly ofthe present invention to fit properly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019]FIG. 1 is a perspective of a self-standing range built inaccordance with the present invention with a portion cut away.

[0020]FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the front edge of therange of FIG. 1 with a pry bar-type tool illustrated being used to openthe oven door.

[0021]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1,depicting the motorized oven door latch assembly of the presentinvention.

[0022]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 butillustrating a pry bar-type tool being used to open the range.

[0023]FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mounting plate ofthe motorized door assembly illustrating the configuration of the guide.

[0024]FIG. 6 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of the latch assembly.

[0025]FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 6A-6A of FIG. 6.

[0026]FIG. 7 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of latch assembly.

[0027]FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 7A-7A of FIG. 7.

[0028]FIG. 8 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of latch assembly.

[0029]FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8A-8A of FIG. 8.

[0030]FIG. 9 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of latch assembly.

[0031]FIG. 10 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of latch assembly.

[0032]FIG. 11 is a plan view similar to FIG. 3 but illustrating analternative embodiment of latch assembly.

[0033]FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view taken on line 11A-11A of FIG.11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034] Referring to the drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, there isillustrated a self-standing range 10 including a pyrolytic self-cleaningoven 12 on top of which are a plurality of burners 14 as isconventional. The range 10 comprises a range body 16 having a pair ofside walls 18, a front wall 19, a back wall 20 (see FIG. 3) and a top21. Spaced a fixed distance below the top 21 of the range body 16 is anoven top wall 22. An oven cavity 24 inside which resides one or moreheating elements (not shown) is defined by the oven top wall 22, sidewalls 18 of the range body, a cavity back wall 25 and a bottom 27. Anoven door 26 having a handle 28 and a window 30 is hingedly mounted tothe front wall 19 of the range body so that a user pulling on the handle28 will cause the oven door 26 to hingedly open about an horizontal axis32 in order to move the door 26 between a closed position as shown inFIG. 1 and an open position. As best illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, the ovendoor 26 has a thickness T defined between a back wall 34 and a frontwall 36 between which is insulation 38.

[0035] As best illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, a door latch assembly 40functions to lock the oven door 26 in a closed and sealed position sothat the oven door 26 may not be opened e.g. when the oven is in aself-cleaning mode. The door latch assembly 40 comprises multiplecomponents which work together to move a latch plate 42, bestillustrated in FIG. 2, between three different positions so that theoven door may be opened when the latch plate is in a first position andthe oven door may not be opened when the latch plate is in either itssecond or third positions without a pry bar-type device or tool 43.

[0036] The door latch assembly 40 comprises a motor 44 activated bypower lines 46 and located generally behind the rear wall 25 of the ovencavity 24. A cam 48 is secured to the motor 44 such that rotation of themotor causes the cam 48 to rotate about a vertical axis.

[0037] A mounting plate 50 extends generally from the back of the rangeto the front of the range and is secured to the front wall 19 of therange with fasteners 52 (see FIGS. 3 and 4). The mounting plate 50 islocated below the top 21 of the range and above the top wall 22 of theoven cavity. An opening 54 in the mounting plate 50 allows the cam 48 tofreely rotate when activated by the motor 44. The mounting plate 50 issupported by the range body above the oven cavity 24 in a generallyhorizontal orientation as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2. Although FIG. 1illustrates the mounting plate 50 being located in a particularorientation, the mounting plate 50 may be placed in other locations aswell without departing from the spirit of the invention of thisapplication. As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the mounting plate 50 has avertically oriented front lip 51. The front lip 51 abuts the front wall19 of the range body and has a pair of holes therein 53 through whichthe fasteners 52 pass to secure the front lip 51 of the mounting plate50 to the front wall 19 of the range body. Additionally, the front lip51 of the mounting plate has a generally rectangular opening 55 throughwhich the latch plate 42 passes.

[0038] As best illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, a guide 57 is located atthe front of the mounting plate 50. The guide 57 is an opening of aparticular configuration illustrated in detail in FIG. 5 comprising anarrow front section 57 a and a relatively wider back section 57 bbetween which is located a middle section 57 c. The size andconfiguration of the guide 57 limit the movement of the latch plate 42in a manner described in more detail below.

[0039] As best illustrated in FIGS. 2-4, a latch rod 56 extends betweenthe cam 48 and the latch plate 42, extending generally from front toback of the range. The latch rod 56 has a first end 58 which is securedto the cam 48 and a second end 60 which is secured to the latch plate 42in a manner which will be described in more detail below. The latch rod56 is located generally above the mounting plate 50 and moves in alinear manner depicted by the arrows 62 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 4) as thecam 48 rotates.

[0040] Another component of the door latch assembly 40 is the latchplate 42 best illustrated in FIG. 2. The latch plate 42 has a hook 64located at a front end 66, and a hole 68 at a rear end 70. Between thefront and back ends the latch plate 42 has a slot 72 therethroughadapted to receive a pin 74. The pin 74 is secured to the mounting plate50 and extends upwardly therefrom in a fixed location. The pin 74 has acircular top portion 75 which prevents the latch plate 42 from beingpulled out of position. The top portion 75 of the pin 74 rests on top ofthe slot 72 of the latch plate 42, while the pin 74 travels inside theslot as the latch plate moves between positions.

[0041] As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the latch plate 42 ismovable between three positions: a first position 76, a second position77 and a third position 78. The first position 76 of the latch plate 42is shown in dashed lines in FIGS. 2 and 3 (to the left). In this firstposition, the hook 64 of the latch plate 42 is aligned with an opening39 in the back wall 34 of the oven door (see FIGS. 2 and 3). With thelatch plate 42 in this first position, the oven door 26 may be freelyopened, the hook 64 of the latch plate 42 passing through the opening 39in the oven door 26. As the latch rod 56 translates rearwardly due toactivation of the motor and consequent rotation of the cam 48, the latchplate 46 moves to its second position, which is shown in dashed lines inFIG. 3. In this position, the oven door 26 may not be opened because thehook 64 of the latch plate 42 catches the back wall 34 of the oven door26 in a manner depicted in FIG. 3. Upon further rearward translation ofthe latch rod 56, the latch plate 42 is pulled rearwardly in thedirection of arrow 79 to its third position in which the oven door 26 islocked and sealed. In this position, the oven door 26 is correctlysealed and seated so as to provide a tight seal for the oven cleaningprocess. The third position of the latch plate 46 is shown in solidlines in FIGS. 2 and 3.

[0042] As best illustrated in FIG. 2, the second end 60 of the latch rod56 comprises a vertical section 80 and a horizontal section 82 whichterminates in an end 83. The hole 68 in the latch plate 42 is sized soas to have a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the verticalsection 80 of the latch rod 56 so that the vertical section 80 of thelatch rod 56 passes through the hole 68 in the latch plate 46 andthrough the guide 57 in the mounting plate 50 with the horizontalsection 82 of the latch rod 56 being located below the mounting plate50. The horizontal section 82 of the latch rod 56 prevents the latch rod56 from separating from either the latch plate 42 or the mounting plate50 as the vertical section 80 of the latch rod 56 moves inside the guide57 upon translation of the latch rod 56.

[0043] In order to bias the latch plate 42 toward its second position, abiaser 85 (best illustrated in FIG. 2) extends between a bracket 87fixedly secured to the front of the mounting plate 50 and a finger 89 ofthe latch plate 42. The finger 89 of the latch plate extends verticallyand has a hole 90 therein through which a hook 91 of the biaser 85passes in order to secure one end of the biaser 85 to the latch plate.The other end of the biaser 85 has a hook 93 which passes through a hole94 in the bracket 87. Although the biaser 85 is illustrated as being aspring, the biaser 85 may be any other biasing-type mechanism and may besecured at either end with structures other than hooks to the latchplate 42 and to the bracket 87, respectively.

[0044] In operation, upon activation of the motor, the cam 48 rotates,causing the latch rod 56 to translate along the direction of arrows 62.Upon rearward translation of the latch rod 56, the latch plate 42 movesfrom its first position 76 to its second position 77 in which the ovendoor is prevented from opening. Upon further translation of the latchrod, the latch plate is pulled rearwardly to its third position 78 inwhich the oven door 26 is in a locked and sealed position with the backwall 34 of the oven door exerting pressure against a gasket 96 locatedbetween the oven door 26 and the front wall 19 of the range body (seeFIGS. 2 and 3).

[0045] In the event of an electrical or mechanical failure while theoven is in a self-cleaning mode and the oven door 26 is in a locked andsealed position, the latch rod 56 will not translate. Thus, the latchplate 42 is fixed in its third position. In heretofore known range doorassemblies, a service technician had to be called in order to access thelatch rod 56 through the back of the range in order to open the ovendoor 26 so that the oven could be used for cooking. With the presentinvention, a pry bar-type device or tool 43 having a horizontal section98 and a vertical section 100 may be used to open the oven door 26without having to call a service technician and without having to accessthe oven cavity through the rear panel of the range.

[0046] As best illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, the vertical section 100 ofthe pry bar tool 43 is moved in the direction of arrow 102 such that thevertical section 100 is pried between the oven door 26 and the frontwall 19 of the range body to the right of the latch plate. By moving thetool 43 in the direction of arrow 104, as shown in FIG. 4, pressure isexerted on the latch plate, pushing the front end of the latch plate inthe direction of arrow 106 (to the left), as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4,towards its first position. By moving the pry bar tool 43 in thisdirection, the latch plate 42 is moved against the bias of the biaser 85causing the rear of the latch plate 42 to move in a forward and sidewaysdirection as dictated by the configuration of the guide 57 formed in themounting plate 50. As best illustrated in FIG. 4, the latch plate 42rotates and slides about the pin 74 and the pin moves inside the slot 72so that the latch plate 46 is moved to its first position. With thelatch plate 42 in its first position 76, the oven door 26 may be opened.

[0047]FIGS. 6 and 6A illustrate one alternative embodiment of themotorized door latch assembly of the present invention prepared forshipment. The latch plate 42 a is fixed in its first position by a fixerto prevent movement of the latch plate 42 a during shipment. In thisembodiment of the invention, the fixer is a pin 110 which extendsthrough the mounting plate 50 a and latch plate 42 a, as shown in FIG.6A. The pin 110 may be made of plastic or soft metal such as aluminumand may have perforations therethrough. Upon arrival at the rangemanufacturing facility, the range manufacturer may shear the pin 110 inhalf or break the pin by activating the motor or driver 44. After thepin 110 has been either broken in half or otherwise removed, the latchplate 42 a is free to move between its positions in a manner describedhereinabove.

[0048]FIGS. 7 and 7A illustrate another embodiment of the motorized doorlatch assembly of the present invention prepared for shipment. The latchplate 42 b is fixed in its first position by a fixer to prevent movementof the latch plate 42 b during shipment. In this embodiment of theinvention, the fixer is an L-shaped member 112 which engages twoextensions 114 of the latch plate 42 b. The L-shaped member 112 issecured to the mounting plate 50 b and extends upwardly therefrom. SeeFIG. 7A. The L-shaped member 112 may be made of plastic or soft metalsuch as aluminum. Upon arrival at the manufacturing facility, the rangemanufacturer may shear or break the L-shaped member 112 by activatingthe motor or driver 44. Alternatively, the L-shaped member 112 may bemanually or otherwise removed. After the L-shaped member 112 has beeneither broken or otherwise removed, the latch plate 42 b is free to movebetween its positions in a manner described hereinabove.

[0049]FIGS. 8 and 8A illustrate another embodiment of the motorized doorlatch assembly of the present invention prepared for shipment. The latchplate 42 c is fixed in its first position by a fixer to prevent movementof the latch plate 42 c during shipment. In this embodiment of theinvention, the fixer is an C-shaped clip 116 which engages the pin 74extending upwardly from the mounting plate 50 c. The C-shaped clip 116surrounds the pin 74 above the latch plate 42 c. See FIG. 8A.Alternatively, the C-shaped clip 116 may be located underneath the latchplate 42 c. The C-shaped clip 116 may be made of plastic or soft metalsuch as aluminum. Upon arrival at its destination, the rangemanufacturer may shear or break the C-shaped clip 116 by activating themotor or driver. Alternatively, the range manufacturer may manuallyremove the C-shaped clip 116. After the C-shaped clip 116 has beeneither broken or otherwise removed, the latch plate 42 c is free to movebetween its positions in a manner described hereinabove.

[0050]FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention. This embodiment utilizes two mounting plates, a rear mountingplate 118 to which the motor 44 is secured at the rear of the range anda front mounting plate 120 to which the latch plate 42 d is secured atthe front of the range. Thus this embodiment of the present inventioneliminates the middle section of the mounting plate of the otherembodiments, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the latchassembly. During shipment a temporary length member 122 is secured withfasteners 123 to the front and rear mounting plates 120,118,respectively. The temporary length member 122 gives the entire latchassembly greater strength to help prevent the latch rod 56 from beingbent or otherwise damaged during shipment. Upon arrival at themanufacturing facility, the range manufacturer may remove the temporarylength member 122 by removing fasteners 123.

[0051]FIGS. 10 and 11 illustrate alternative embodiments of the presentinvention in which two mounting plates are secured to the range body. Ineach of these embodiments, the rear mounting plate is adjustably securedto the range body to accommodate ranges of different sizes. The frontmounting plate is stationary. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10,the rear mounting plate 124 has a plurality of holes 126 therethroughwhich line up with two holes in the range body 16. The rear mountingplate 124 may be secured to the range body using two fasteners 128passing through these holes. Regardless of the size of the range, onesize of latch assembly may be used in this embodiment of the presentinvention due to the adjustability of the rear mounting plate 124.

[0052] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 11A, the rearmounting plate 130 has a series of wave-like serrations 132 which alignwith a series of wave-like serrations 134 in a top plate 135. A fastener136 passes through a hole 140 in the top plate 135, a slot 144 in therear mounting plate 130 and a hole 142 in the range body 16. Byadjusting the rear mounting plate 130 relative to the range body 16, thesame latch plate assembly may be used with different size ranges.Alternatively, more than one fastener may be used.

[0053] Thus, with the present invention an operator may quickly andeasily open the oven door even in the event of a mechanical orelectrical failure. Consequently, the oven may be used for cookingimmediately and is not inoperable for an extended period of time (untila service technician comes to fix the cause of the failure).

[0054] While we have described one preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, persons skilled in the art will appreciate changes andmodifications which may be made to the present invention withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention. Therefore, we do not intendto be limited except by the scope of the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A motorized door latch assembly for locking an oven door ina closed position so as to close an oven cavity for purposes of cleaningsaid oven cavity, said oven door being mounted on a range body and beingmovable between an open and said closed position, said door latchassembly comprising: a mounting plate supported by said range body abovesaid oven cavity, a driver, a latch rod secured to said driver at afirst end and secured to a latch plate at a second end, said latch platebeing adapted to engage said oven door and being movable between a firstposition in which said oven door may be opened and a second position inwhich said oven door may not be opened, and a fixer fixing said latchplate in said first position until said driver is activated, whereinsaid latch rod translates, moving said latch plate between said firstand second positions.
 2. The motorized door latch assembly of claim 1wherein said mounting plate has a guide therethrough and a pin extendingupwardly from said mounting plate.
 3. The motorized door latch assemblyof claim 1 wherein said driver is a motor supported by said mountingplate and a cam rotatably driven by said motor.
 4. The motorized doorlatch assembly of claim 2 wherein said second end of said latch platepasses through said guide.
 5. The motorized door latch assembly of claim2 wherein said pin extends through a slot in said latch plate torestrict movement of said latch plate.
 6. The motorized door latchassembly of claim 1 further comprising a biaser extending between afixed point on said mounting plate and said latch plate so as to biassaid latch plate toward said second position.
 7. The motorized doorlatch assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixer is a fastener.
 8. Themotorized door latch assembly of claim 1 wherein said fixer is anL-shaped bracket.
 9. The motorized door latch assembly of claim 1wherein said fixer is a spring clip.
 10. The motorized door latchassembly of claim 1 wherein said latch plate is movable to a thirdposition upon further translation of said latch rod.
 11. The motorizeddoor latch assembly of claim 1 wherein said latch plate has a holetherethrough, said second end of said latch rod passing through saidhole of said latch plate to secure said second end of said latch rod tosaid latch plate.
 12. The motorized door latch assembly of claim 1wherein said latch rod extends generally from back to front of saidrange.
 13. A motorized door latch assembly for locking an oven door in aclosed position so as to close an oven cavity for purposes of cleaningsaid oven cavity, said oven door being mounted on a range body, saiddoor latch assembly comprising: a first mounting plate supported by saidrange body above said oven cavity, a pin extending upwardly from saidfirst mounting plate, a motor assembly supported a second mountingplate, said motor assembly including a motor and a cam rotatably drivenby said motor, a latch rod secured to said cam at one end and secured toa latch plate at the other end, said latch plate having a hook at oneend for engaging said oven door, a temporary length member extendingbetween said first and second mounting plates, and wherein upon rotationof said cam by said motor, said latch rod translates, moving said latchplate between three positions, a first position in which said oven doormay be opened, a second position in which said oven door may not beopened and a third position in which said oven door is locked andsealed.
 14. The motorized door latch assembly of claim 13 wherein saidfirst mounting plate is located in the front of said range.
 15. Themotorized door latch assembly of claim 13 wherein said second mountingplate is located in the rear of said range.
 16. The motorized door latchassembly of claim 13 wherein said second mounting plate is adjustablysecured to said range body.
 17. A motorized door latch assembly forlocking an oven door in a closed position so as to close an oven cavityfor purposes of cleaning said oven cavity, said oven door being mountedon a range body, said door latch assembly comprising: a first mountingplate supported by said range body above said oven cavity, a driversupported by a second mounting plate, said second mounting plate beingadjustably secured to said range body, a latch rod secured to saiddriver at one end and secured to a latch plate at the other end, saidlatch plate having a hook at one end for engaging said oven door, andwherein upon activation of said driver, said latch rod translates,moving said latch plate between three positions, a first position inwhich said oven door may be opened, a second position in which said ovendoor may not be opened and a third position in which said oven door islocked and sealed.